Many of us in the United States will
breathe a huge sigh of relief this coming
Wednesday when the campaign ads
finally stop polluting the airwaves, the
roadside billboards and nearly every
page we visit online. In the din, it’s difficult
to hear a call to prayer, a call to
recognize that God, not any elected
official, deserves our undying loyalty.
Those working to get our vote have
discovered that the best way to do that
is to appeal to our most selfish personal
interests. “What’s in it for me?” can
be the short-sighted but persuasive
basis for our judgments in politics, in
business, in other day-to-day decisions.

But as we go to vote this week, we
also need to keep in mind Jesus’s interpretation
of the central Hebrew prayer:
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God,
the Lord Alone.” For Jesus, and so for
us, love for God can best be expressed
in love for our neighbor. And, as we
know from other passages in the
Gospel, the word neighbor has the
broadest possible interpretation,
extending even to our enemies.

Our first reading from Deuteronomy
is known in Judaism as the Shema,
(Hebrew for “Hear”). It is recited every
day by faithful Jews. It is part of the
Scripture passage that is inserted in the
mezuzah (a small decorative box) fastened
to the doorway of Jewish homes.

There’s a reason for this prayer being
part of one’s daily routine. We need a
constant reminder that the Lord is our
God, not merely one of many other
things, people and ideologies vying for
our attention. In the days of Moses, it
was a question of other cultures and
their many religious idols. In our own
day, it’s less religious idolatry than the
many demands that the world makes
on our time.

It can be far too easy to take our
faith for granted. We can get so much
more enthusiastic about a sports team,
a political campaign, a business venture,
a hobby, pouring time and money
and energy into pursuits that are at
best temporary victories. To some
extent, this is because it’s difficult to
package and sell religion in the same
glitzy way that so much else is marketed.
We rightly perceive such attempts
as being false to the central message,
over-the-top, and desperate. We don’t
mind when advertisers rely on fake
smiles to sell toothpaste. We mind a
great deal when they do the same thing
to sell salvation.

Jesus takes our relationship with
God, rightly the central point in our
lives, and expands our focus so that
what we need to do is right in front of
us at all times. We can say we love God
and then go about our daily business
as though it doesn’t make a difference.
But if we say we love others, we will
have to reckon with the many ways in
which we demonstrate that on a daily
basis. And Jesus reminds his listeners
that religious ritual is no substitution
for genuine love for others.

One of the most divisive issues in
this year’s political campaigns has been
the question of care for the poor and
needy. It may have seemed easier in
Jesus’ day, although we know from the
Gospels that even then, even in the
days of the prophets, there was a tendency
to ignore those in need. If everyone
who professes faith in God is committed
to doing everything possible to
help those who lack the basics—food,
clothing, shelter, health care, work—
then, in fact, we will not be far from
the kingdom of God.